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During
2014-2015, we can “Strengthen the Pride” by bringing the 1.35
million members of our Lion’s family closer together, working in a spirit of
cooperation and understanding. This is not the pride of being boastful; it is
pride of accomplishment in building communities, providing meaningful service,
and helping those who cannot help themselves. This feeling of pride forms the
foundation of our commitment to serving others, and has made us the global
leader in humanitarian service. This is the platform for success in the coming
year, through our centennial, and well into the next hundred years of our
association.
Strengthen
the Pride through Service
Service
has been the bedrock of our association since we were founded 1917, and in
2014, we will embark on a three-year centennial celebration to honour our
commitment to serving our communities:
- Centennial
Service Challenge: This celebration of service will begin in
July 2014 and will conclude in December 2017. There will be four
elements to the Centennial Service Challenge, with special recognition
available to clubs that report their participation in the Global Service
Action Campaign projects that align with the program.
In the
coming year, clubs are also encouraged to participate in a special project by
responding to children in need, such as those that address literacy, hunger,
abuse, or poverty – wherever there are children lacking resources and support.
Invite friends and family to participate in these activities.
Strengthen
the Pride through Membership Development
Our
focus is on service, but our strength is directly tied to our members. While we
have been fortunate to sustain membership growth over the past six years, that
growth must continue if we are to maintain our role as the global leader in
humanitarian service. We can promote membership growth and development in the
following ways:
- Ask One: Every Lion should invite at least one new member during the
2014-2015 Lions year, and focus on pursuing those who demonstrate a desire
to serve others. Tools, such as the “Just Ask” brochure, are available to
support this effort.
- Set the
Expectation: Clubs should prepare to welcome new members
so that there is a timely club approval, meaningful induction, and a
thorough new member orientation. The International President, district
governors, past officers, and directors will expect to be included in
inductions whenever possible.
- Every Club
Needs A Plan: Clubs should create Membership Development
and Leadership Development plans unique to their club and community
- Special
Targeting: While we strive to grow in every
demographic, members can be encouraged to focus on inviting women and
younger people to join their clubs
- We Need More
Clubs: Take advantage of extension tools and
resources, including the assistance of Guiding Lions, to establish and
develop new clubs.
- Rebuild
Existing Clubs: Assign a Guiding Lion to work with clubs
experiencing challenges to help them increase membership, develop better
club operations and to expand service.
Strengthen
the Pride by Strengthening Your Club
It is
time that we got back to the basics of strengthening our association from the
“Club Up." Every club will be encouraged to examine what they are doing
and consider implementing new management strategies and techniques to energize
their club. The goal is to have clubs with better focus, direction, drive
and purpose. Clubs can accomplish this with a number of strategies:
- Participate in
the Community Needs Assessment to determine how best to serve their
respective communities
- Invest in
building relationships with new members, and treat them like family
- Participate in
the Club Excellence Process (CEP) to improve club effectiveness and
enhance the membership experience
- Ensure that
all members are actively involved in club activities and operations
- Sponsor a Leo
club
Strengthen
the Pride through Leadership
We can
strengthen our clubs by developing strong club leaders. Effective leadership
development starts with a meaningful induction and a proper orientation, and
from there, clubs can encourage club leadership development in the following
ways:
- Assign new
members to committees to develop their leadership skills
- Ensure club officers
are trained to fulfill the responsibilities of their position
- Establish a
leadership development plan that includes goals for member orientation,
mentoring, zone meeting participation and other leadership training
Strengthen
the Pride through Partnerships
We can
do more and accomplish more when we work together with like-minded people,
companies and organizations. Clubs are encouraged to partner with others
when it is mutually advantageous, strengthens their communities, and helps the
club better serve others.
Strengthen
the Pride through Rededication
Our
founder, Melvin Jones, instilled the pride of service in our first members, and
nurtured pride in membership as Lions Clubs International began to grow.
As we prepare for our centennial, schedule a celebration of Melvin Jones’
birthday on January 13th as a tribute to our founder, and rededicate yourself
to the community and humanitarian codes, objects and principles of our
association.
Strengthen
the Pride through Giving
The
more you give, the more you have to give. This year, all clubs are invited to
make a contribution to LCIF, the charitable arm of our association.
Strengthen
the Pride through Creativity
The
ability to adapt and take on new challenges has been an important part of our
past success, and has helped us thrive in an ever-changing world. To ensure our
future growth, we need to creatively embrace technology and use it to our
advantage. LCI has built a strong network of online and social media tools, and
we can utilize them to Strengthen the Pride in the following ways:
- Engage in
social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, the LCI blog and
other sites
- Promote the
development of club/district web sites and social media pages (i.e.,
Facebook)
- Use and
promote tools like Service Activity Reporting and MyLCI, which make it
easy for clubs to report activities, find information, and share their
pride
- Take advantage
of learning opportunities related to social media and attend seminars or
training events at your local conventions, area forums, or the
international convention
Strengthen
the Pride through Courage and Conviction
Lions
members have both courage and conviction. As Lions, we need to
roar. We need to tell the whole world who we are, that we will never stop
trying, because we have service to perform, and we are going to provide it, no
matter what the challenges are.
District
Governors-elect, we have the opportunity to “roar” louder than we ever have
before by focusing our efforts through service, membership and club development,
partnerships, leadership, rededication, creativity, courage, and conviction.
Coordinate your efforts, collaborate with the teams and resources available to
you, and commit to Strengthen the Pride
